April, spring, longer days and a bit of warmth

April is the month of longer days and hopefully a little warmth in the suns rays. Heavy snowfall in early March certainly pressed the pause button on growing but the plus was the extended flowering period of snowdrop and crocus. With better days in view now is a good time to assess winter casualties and […]

March Updates

Have you ever thought that March is a bit like a lighthouse, light and darkness coming in bursts, enticing you into the garden one moment then sending you scurrying indoors to warm frozen wet fingers round a cup of coffee the next. By now most amateur gardeners are desperate to be out doing, knowing in […]

Winter planting – Broad beans, lettuce and onion

Freezing temperatures and grey wet days are not the best incentives to take yourself outside and into the garden, but it can never the less uplift the spirits. Bulbs are usually well above ground by now and the snowdrops and hellebores should be in full flower. Primulas benefit from a bit of a tidy as […]

Birstwith in 2017 and plans for 2018

2017 has been quite a year for Birstwith. We supported the tour de Yorkshire, raised funds for dementia , opened our gardens, made scarecrows and shouted encouragement to our pigs at the fundraising BBQ. Birstwith in Bloom secured a silver gilt award and the BHS summer show had record entries and record attendance. What an […]

Birstwith Show 150 Years In Pictures

Show Time!

It really doesn’t seem possible that July is here again and once more our lovely village show is on the horizon. Beautiful May weather gave us a good start to the growing season, so fingers crossed we will see record numbers of entries in our show tent. I think my tomato plants are as big […]

Tour de Yorkshire 2017 raising money for Birstwith in Bloom

The end of April and the beginning of May certainly gave us something to enjoy and appreciate. The Tour de Yorkshire passed off with lots of village support and everywhere looked fantastic thanks to the BHS and also to Andrea and Matthew who I think not only fed the village but half of the amateur […]

Spring 2017 Updates

It is now just over a year since Birstwith in Bloom began to emerge from a suggestion to a reality, and what a year it has been. Although many of our projects are mundane and low key it has meant that a cohesive group of volunteers have emerged to create a productive working party. To […]

Birstwith In Bloom & Merry Christmas!

Whilst recapping on last years article it reminded me of why our gardens and green spaces are of such importance. While tending our front garden I all too often stop and chat to neighbours and slightly less familiar faces from the end of our cul-de-sac. Without the garden as a casual introduction I wouldn’t have […]

How you can help our village with Birstwith In Bloom

With such a glorious October behind us it would be too much to expect November to be as lovely,  but the colours of autumn never fail to delight. Any summer flowering shrubs that have evaded a prune so far can be cut back now and annual bedding plants lifted and composted. Autumn is a great […]